Spicy Chocolate Popcorn with Quinoa

I’m a serious spice addict. If it was acceptable to put hot sauce on everything, I would do it. (I mean even if it’s not, I’m probably going to do it anyway. I’m such a rebel. Watch out.)

As uncomfortable as it is, having my mouth on fire, feeling like I could open it and flames would come out, I kinda love it. It’s a twisted pleasure. (Side bar, is it weird that I think of Harry Potter at every dragon reference?)

But then there’s this other demon I struggle. My inexplicable, complete and utter devotion to the mother of all sweets. Chocolate.Chocolate.Chocolate.

Everything tastes better with chocolate.

Is chocolate not every girl’s best friend? I mean really, what would our world be with out chocolate? You know, let my paint this picture for you. It would be a cold, dark and gloomy place. No one would be happy, expect for those who abhor chocolate (sorry, but I think you’re of the minority if you fall in this category). Every woman would be in constant state of anger and frustration. Everything would get on our nerves (even more than it already does).

Sounds pretty terrible (chime in here guys), doesn’t it?

So, I decided to listen to the two little devils on my shoulder, calling for spicy chocolate goodness. I didn’t want dessert (well that’s a lie, I always want dessert), I was craving something to snack on that would satisfy my serious sweet tooth. And so this spicy chocolate popcorn baby was born, and the dragon inside of me was jumping for joy.

This is probably the best late night movie snack on the planet. It’s popcorn. It’s chocolate. It’s nuts. It’s spicy. Oh, and there’s just a hint of salt. With a dash of quinoa. Oh, and it’s gluten-free, vegan and refined sugar-free.

Spicy chocolate popcorn with quinoa. Yeah, I did it. And yeah, it was totally awesome.

½ cup chopped nuts of choice (I used peanuts, but this would also rock with almonds)

2 tablespoons whole quinoa (uncooked)

¼ cup coconut oil

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup coconut sugar

2 tablespoons nut butter of choice

½ teaspoon cayenne (start with less and work your way up if you're not a fan of heat)

½ teaspoon salt

Powdered stevia to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Add the popcorn to the baking sheet, then sprinkle with nuts making sure they're evenly dispersed.

Heat the coconut oil over low heat in a small saucepan until it melts. Whisk in cocoa powder, coconut sugar, nut butter, cayenne and salt. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes until everything is fully combined and it has thickened only slightly. Taste and add stevia until you get your desired sweetness.

Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the popcorn-nut mixture and gently mix all the ingredients together. I think it would be easiest to use your hands, but a wooden spoon or spatula would also work.

Sprinkle the quinoa over the mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes, stirring the mixture every ten minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely. I found this firmed up best in the fridge for about ½ an hour.

Comments

This recipe is BRILLIANT for sooo many reasons. I have never thought to add quinoa to popcorn, but I have been loving it uncooked and toasted in granola or as a savory crunch. Then the chocolate and spices. One of my absolute favorite combos. This is an amazing recipe, I cannot wait to try!

Hi am I glad I came across this website as I too love chocolate and this is an ingenious recipe to have spicy chocolate with popcorn. Never in a million years would I have thought of this so thank you for the recipe and the great idea. Cant wait to try it.
Cheers
Dave

I’d like to try this, but am curious if you rinse the quinoa in any way to remove the bitterness caused by saponins. I find quinoa has a natural bitter taste unless rinsed. Some people are more sensitive to the soapy taste of saponins than others.
Do you used a specific brand which may be pre-rinsed?

Hi Kitty, I actually don’t ever rinse my quinoa and never find that I have a bitter taste on any of the brands that I buy. All quinoa sold commercially, at least all the main brands, triple rinse their quinoa before it’s packaged, so I honestly don’t find the need. If you do find that quinoa is bitter, simple rinse it in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear.

Trackbacks

[…] It is no great secret that underneath all my clean eating and my quest to live a healthy life, I have one wicked sweet tooth. Today I am praising my most fabulous friend Jane who led me to the following recipe found here on the Queen of Quinoa’s blog. […]

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Hi there! I'm Alyssa!

Welcome to Simply Quinoa, a blog dedicated to simple, healthy food, always with a quinoa twist. I'm a former marketer turned full-time blogger living in NYC, with a serious love of anything peanut butter or chocolate. It's nice to meet you!